The Fugates are coming! Part 8 - Rome (about town)

We walked around a lot, like you do, and saw quite a bit. There were many things that we saw that I had already seen and reported on in this blog. So here are some pictures from our walks around town.


Here is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, aka the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona. It was made by Bernini and erected in 1651. We saw some of his other amazing sculptures at the Villa Borghese the last time I was in Rome.


The four figures in the sculpture are supposed to represent four great rivers in the four continents recognized by Renaissance geographers. They are the Danube in Europe, the Nile in Africa, the Ganges in Asia (Indian subcontinent, please), and the Rio de la Plata in the Americas. Hmmph. Apparently they had never heard of the Great Miami River, Wolf Creek, or the mighty Olentangy.


Here we are arriving at the Pantheon. It's old.


Here's the opening at the top into which rain and snow (if there is any) will fall. That must make for an interesting mass. Steve and I were hoping to catch a picture of a bird flying over the opening, or oculus, which we did see. Unfortunately our cameras were not fast enough.


After the Pantheon (still seen above) we went to some other churches that I've already reported on. We went to the Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio with its trompe-l'oeil dome, ...


the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva with Michelangelo's Christ the Redeemer statue, San Luigi dei Francesi the national French church in Rome with its Caravaggios, ...


and San Pietro in Vincoli with its chains of St. Peter and Michelangelo's Moses.


See! I hope you don't think me too lazy, but there are pictures of all these places already on the site somewhere. You should have them memorized by now.


And there's the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. Behind it is the Capitoline Hill with its museum, and then the Forum beyond that. The Forum will be in one of my next postings.


Here is the Trevi Fountain, surprisingly not too crowded. I think we attempted to throw a coin in the fountain. It's reported that approximately 3000 Euros are thrown in the fountain every day. I need to build me a big ole' fountain.


We stayed at the bottom of the Spanish Steps this time, and there were no choirs singing.


We also went back into Santa Maria del Popolo in the Piazza del Popolo. There are more Caravaggios in here, including the one that Lara talked about at the symposium. Remember?


Here is the view back into the Piazza del Popolo with the obelisk, which is blocking the entrance to the Via del Corso between the twin churches (which I have never inside of). Speaking of things I've never done...


I've been to the Piazza del Popolo a few times now, but this was the first time that I ever went out of the old city through the Porta del Popolo (formerly the Porta Flaminia) in the Aurelian Walls. Here we look back at the gate from the outside. This gate was the beginning of the Via Flaminia, which was Rome's most important road to the north.